Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST)put into use on September 25, 2016
Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), or Tianyan, is the world's largest of its kind, overtaking Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, which is 300 meters in diameter. FAST's large hemispheric surface is made up of 4,450 1.3-millimeter-thin reflecting panels, each weighing 427 to 482.5 kilograms. It is 10 times more sensitive than the steerable 100-meter telescope near Bonn, Germany. FAST can detect weak radio signals from the outer space, even beyond our own solar system and will be helpful in areas such as large-scale physics of the universe and understanding the nature of dark matter. It will also contribute to the international search for intelligent extraterrestrial life and could also be used to track spacecraft involved in China's space program. It is capable of identifying gravitational waves, detecting radio emissions from the outer reaches of space and listening for signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life. (Photo gallery)
